China earthquake leaves about 500 people injured

45 people have sustained grave and 56 - moderately grave injuries, according to local officials

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BEIJING, August 9. /TASS/. The number of people injured during a powerful earthquake in China’s southwestern Sichuan province has grown to 493. The death toll stands at 20, officials in the Ngawa Tibetan and Qiang Autonomous Prefecture reported on Thursday.

According to local officials, 45 people have sustained grave and 56 - moderately grave injuries. As for the other 392 people, medics qualify their injuries as minor.

China’s Jiuzhaigou County in the Sichuan Province was struck by a 7.0-magnitude earthquake at about 21:19 local time (16:19 Moscow time) on Tuesday. The epicenter of the quake was located some 280-300 kilometers away from the provincial capital Chengdu, at the depth of 20 kilometers.

Tremors were also felt in the cities of Lanzhou, Chongqing, Mianyang and Xi'an. About 770 aftershocks were reported within the next few hours. The emergencies headquarters mobilized units of the Chinese People’s Liberation Army, People’s Armed Police Force, firefighters, police and people’s militia to deal with the aftermath of the quake.